The Way of the Consort

In the East Palace, Zong Zhen had already gone to bed and rested, thinking about things, but he didn't fall asleep, only seeing shadows swaying outside the tent from time to time.

Shaking around, but not daring to come in, sneaking around.

Zong Zhen was very displeased, and said in a deep voice, "What's the matter?"

Bao Qing was startled, walked over lightly, and asked softly through the curtain: "Your Highness, are you awake?"

Zong Zhen was annoyed: "How can you let people sleep when you are shaking like this?"

Bao Qing laughed dryly, Zong Zhen had already sat up, and opened the curtain: "Is there something urgent? Is it—"

Zong Zhen looked at a plum blossom in Bao Qing's bosom.

Bao Qing laughed again: "It's the son-in-law who sent people back to the city to deliver flowers..."

Seeing that His Highness was concentrating and there was no response, Bao Qing had no choice but to step back cautiously: "Back now, little one."

"Who sent it?" Zong Zhen asked.

Baoqing hurriedly said: "It was Yin Ming and Xuebi who went back to the city together. Afraid of hurting Hua, they came back in a carriage. The city gate was about to close before they came in. The guards on duty at the gate of the palace refused to let them in. Later, the younger one went to the gate. I took the flowers they sent."

Zong Zhen frowned.

Is Ji Zhao addicted to sending things?What kind of monster, what kind of monster did you do?

Seeing that his expression was not good, Baoqing wanted to slip away, and said, "I'll just throw it away..."

"stop……"

"Your Highness?"

"Who told you to throw it?"

"Then—" Baoqing's eyes lit up, "Let's hang it on the tent for Your Highness, it's so delicious! The plum blossoms in our palace haven't bloomed yet, but the ones in the mountains bloom first."

Zong Zhen looked at him coldly, and Bao Qing came back to his senses: "Hey, little one, go find a bottle!"

Zong Zhen directly instructed: "Just use that cracked plum vase."

"Yes! Little one, go get it!"

Baoqing fetched the plum vase, put the water in, inserted the vase, His Highnesses nodded, and he placed the plum vase on the high table outside the tent.

Zongzhen then lay back down again, Baoqing pulled up the tent for him, and exited the bedroom.

Zongzhen turned around a few times, looked up at the reflection of the elegant plum branch outside the tent, looked at it, and fell asleep in the faint plum fragrance.

The next day, when Yin Ming and the others came back, they only said that they hadn't seen the prince himself, and that they were at the gate of the palace, and gave the flowers to the senior official Cheng Shen who was next to the prince.

Ji Zhao let it go and didn't ask further questions.

Giving gifts to the leader is the same thing. It doesn't matter how the leader reacts, he just reflects his "feeling of admiration" for the leader and his "feeling of longing" all the time to the leader.

The Zhuangzi given to him by the prince is next to the farm that Renzong gave him. It is said to be nearby, but it is actually several miles away.His Zhuangzi was halfway up the mountain, and all the land above belonged to this Zhuangzi. After the crown prince gave him the Zhuangzi, these belonged to him, Ji Zhao.

There are many hot springs here, and on the mountainside down from his Zhuangzi, there are two Zhuangzi that are smaller than his. It is said that one belongs to Princess Changning, who is the aunt of Emperor Renzong. If you don't come here, the other one belongs to a minister, and you don't have time to come here.

That is to say, he, Ji Zhao, has nothing to do, so he can only have fun.

His Majesty said earlier that he wanted the prince to send him an errand, and he was nervous for a long time. Now that more than a month has passed, the prince has not sent him any work, so he has let go of his whole heart.

At the foot of the mountain and around the foot of the mountain, there are many Zhuangzi, big and small, whose owners are all wealthy and noble families in Jinling City.

When he went up the mountain yesterday, looking at the scenery along the way, he felt very good, and he planned to go out for a stroll today.

Unexpectedly, when he got up early, it started to rain outside. When it rained in early winter, it would be bitingly cold, and the mountain road was too slippery to travel, so he had to stay in the house.After all, the ancients had few things for entertainment. Fortunately, he was used to lying on the bed in his previous life. When he came, he brought all Xiaoyaozi's travel notes. He read Xiaoyaozi's books almost all day long.

Xiaoyaozi not only writes travel notes, he also writes small life notes, how he made bamboo fences, how to plant flowers, how to build a thatched house, and how to draw spring water when he entered the mountain for the first time. Zhao was reluctant to put down the book, and laughed along with him from time to time, especially when Xiaoyaozi wrote that he raised pigs, but was kicked by the pigs and fell into the pigsty.

Ji Zhao slapped the table with a smile.

He was reading, while Wei's mother made him a coat, Chen Xing sat on his couch and looked up at the rain outside the window, Yin Ming brought a few Cokes, and rode around the village in a coir raincoat , I'm afraid that some strangers will jump in, after all, Zhuangzi is too big.

He laughed like this, Wei's mother put down her needle and thread, looked at him with Chen Xing, and said with a smile: "What are you looking at, smiling like this?"

Ji Zhao laughed and burst into tears, and showed them the book: "This Xiaoyaozi is so interesting!"

Wei's mother is illiterate, Chen Xing watched a few passages, and it happened to be the one where the pig was kicking her, and she immediately laughed along with "haha".

Laughter is always contagious, now it's all right, and Mother Wei also laughs.

Wei's mother smiled and wiped her tears, Yin Ming and the others also returned, took off their coir raincoats on the porch, and dared not enter the inner room when they came in. Ming also asked what they were laughing at.

Chen Xing said it again with a smile, and the few who just came back also laughed together.

Ji Zhao patted the table again: "When the weather clears, let's raise pigs too!"

Mother Wei laughed out loud, and Yin Ming laughed and said, "Mr. Lang, there is a farmer in our village who raises pigs. If you want to see it, we can watch it as soon as the weather clears. It will take several days to enclose the place.”

"Okay, okay! As soon as the sky clears, we'll go see the pigs!" Ji Zhao responded immediately, and pointed to another passage in the book, "It's also very interesting to divert spring water!"

"What we eat in Zhuangzi is the spring water on the mountain!"

Hearing what he said, Ji Zhao hurriedly asked to make another pot of tea. He took another sip, nodded and said, "Sure enough, it's boiled with mountain spring water. It's delicious!"

Everyone laughed again, and then they all read books with him in the room, listening to him laugh from time to time.

The rain outside was pattering down, and the cold was getting stronger and stronger. Ji Zhao asked them to eat and drink whatever he ate and drank, and they all felt warm in their hearts.

Even the original ancestors of Ji Zhao treated Yin Ming, Chen Xing, and Wei's mother the same way. They were all used to it and didn't feel any difference.

The four drinkers secretly glanced at each other from time to time, and there seemed to be struggle and hesitation in their eyes. It is really not easy to follow such a good man as the son-in-law!

In the afternoon, the rain stopped and the ground was still slippery, so Ji Zhao did not leave Zhuangzi.

He was once a patient, he cherished his life, and he was afraid of slipping down the mountain.

However, he went to see the mountain spring in Zhuangzi, and it was indeed led down from the mountain with bamboo pipes. When the spring water rushed down, it made a cheerful tinkling sound.Ji Zhao was also very happy when he heard it. He took a porcelain urn from Chen Xing, bent down and pointed his mouth at the bamboo tube, and took a urn of water.He hugged happily in his arms, and planned to follow Xiaoyaozi's example and bury him in the mud when he went back.

He wanted to know, is it true that this mountain spring water is so sweet after being buried for a while?

He turned to leave, but suddenly thought of the leader in the palace again.

He looked at the porcelain urn in his arms, and looked at Yin Ming, who immediately took a step closer to him.

Alas, it is necessary to please the leader!It is better to please too much than please less!

Ji Zhao handed the porcelain urn to Yin Ming: "Send it to the palace to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

This time, everyone didn't wonder anymore, they were quite used to it, it was the city where Xuebi and Yin Ming returned together.

Ji Zhao took another urn of water, and everyone took some. When they carried them back, Wei's mother said, "Mr. side--"

Ji Zhao shook his hand indifferently: "The princess doesn't like these things."

Mother Wei couldn't say anything more. Mother Wei didn't like such a marriage at first, but she had dealt with the princess many times, and she gradually felt that the princess was very good. It is also an excellent thing for two people to live a lifetime knowing each other.

It's a pity that these two seem to treat each other just like each other... Mama Wei was a little worried.

It rained in the mountains, and it didn't start to rain until evening in the city.

Yin Ming and Xuebi braved the rain to enter the city, they didn't think about entering the palace, they thought it would be all right to give things to others at the gate, but Baoqing brought them into the East Palace together.It was Yin Ming's first time entering the palace, so he wasn't afraid, he lowered his eyes and didn't look much.

Zong Zhen came back from the shooting range, just finished taking a shower, wrapped in sable fur, not in good health, unable to see the wind, so he only asked questions through the screen.

He didn't ask too much, knowing that they were ordered by his son-in-law to come over to deliver something, and what he sent was the spring water from Weng Mountain, so he asked what the son-in-law did on the mountain that day, Yin Ming felt a little unhappy, what did their lord do? Do you want to tell the prince?But who told them that their lord married the prince's sister, there are some people who are worried and ask a few more questions.

Yin Ming, who was completely confused, said: "Your Highness, our lord has been studying in the house today and didn't go anywhere. After the rain stopped in the afternoon, we walked around the village and saw the mountain spring water, so we picked it up with our own hands. The urn, order the little ones to bring it to His Highness."

Zong Zhen glanced at the figure outside the screen, and Yin Ming was still the same as before, looking simple and simple, but actually quite good at talking, and not very good at hiding his thoughts, there was clearly a sense of unwillingness in his words.

Heh, what's the matter with Ji Zhao when he asked a few words, the question was to save Ji Zhao's face.

Zong Zhen asked again: "Don't tell me what book you are reading, it is the Four Books and Five Classics, he will definitely not read this kind of book."

Yin Ming choked, and had no choice but to say: "Xiaoyaozi's book..."

Zong Zhen sneered, Yin Ming couldn't help shrinking, they didn't understand the prince at all, but they often heard people say that the prince is a soft-hearted person, now that he has met him, do he think those people are all blind and deaf?

Zong Zhen didn't ask any more questions, and asked someone to pack a box of books for Yin Ming to bring, which was regarded as reciprocity.

Yin Ming is full of bitterness. He has read it. What kind of books are they? History books, military books, medical books, and arithmetic books. Although he is smart and has a photographic memory, he has read these books before, but recently he has never touched them.

The prince also said: "Tell the son-in-law to watch it carefully. I will test him when I come back."

Yin Ming left with a bitter face, Zong Zhen felt better, got up and walked to the study in the East Chamber.

He was not in a hurry to ask someone to grind ink or spread paper, but stood in front of the bookshelf and looked for books idly, not reading carefully, and asked someone to light a few more lamps, and later he held a lamp in his hand and held it up. After searching, I finally found Xiaoyaozi's set of books on the highest and innermost part of the bookshelf.

There is no book on the market that he has not seen.

Only he and his father had read it in person before they could decide whether it should be printed by an official bookstore or left to a small workshop in private.Printing by bookstores means putting them on sale on a large scale, and there are restrictions on the number of small workshops.

Of course, there were too many books, and they couldn't personally appraise them all. Most of them were handled by the officials of the Imperial Academy.

But Zong Zhen did remember Xiaoyaozi's book.

It is well written and interesting for no other reason, but it is impossible for such a book to be widely printed.Otherwise, everyone will not study hard, thinking about going to the mountains all day long, and going to play everywhere?

He opened one of the books, his book, according to the person who sent it, was Xiaoyaozi's handwritten book.

He turned a few pages and then closed them again. No matter how interesting it was, it was nothing more than that in his eyes. How could Ji Zhao like reading these now?It should be an intentional cover again, to cover yourself up.

Zong Zhen asked someone to put it on the bookshelf again.

Bao Qing came up to make tea for him, and asked: "Does Your Highness want to read the memorial?"

"Um……"

Baoqing then pushed the memorials that had been sorted out on the table towards him. After grinding the ink, the water bottle and the pen stand were all packed, then he bowed his waist and planned to step back. Zongzhen picked up the teacup and tasted it. With a frown, Bao Qing bent a little more.

Zong Zhen glanced at him, and Bao Qing said with a dry smile: "How does your Highness taste the boiled tea sent by the son-in-law?"

"Hmph..." Zong Zhen sneered, "Go away..."

"Okay!" Bao Qing happily rolled away.

Zong Zhen took another sip of the tea, and it was indeed sweet, mixed with a bitter and bitter tea aroma, so he couldn't help but take another sip, then he put down the teacup and began to read the memorial.

After receiving the box of books, and hearing that he was going to write about his reading experience, Ji Zhao's eyes almost went dark.

Is there such a thing?With good intentions, he sent flowers and water, and he thought about the leader in everything he did. Is this how the leader treats him?

In his previous life, he could only lie in bed and read books all day long, and no matter how much he liked it, he didn't like it anymore. In this life, he would just read some travel notes.

Chen Xing came happily holding a plate of snacks, before he noticed the atmosphere in the room, and before he walked around the screen, he said: "Mr. Just send it to the prince—er—what’s the matter..."

Ji Zhao reached out to him, and Chen Xing put the dish in his hand.

Ji Zhao looked at this small and cute plate. Wei's mother made it three times, and he tasted it three times before he came up with the plum blossom-shaped snow-white cake made from snow water on the mountain that tasted just right. He was extremely angry.

He grabbed one and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing hard.

"Lang, Mr. Lang?"

"Delicious!" Ji Zhao grabbed another one and stuffed it into his mouth.

"Uh--"

It cost five yuan a plate, and seeing that Ji Zhao ate only one piece, Chen Xing whispered, "Don't give it to His Royal Highness? The snow water is gone..."

Ji Zhao stuffed the last piece into his mouth and said angrily, "I won't give it away! I won't give it away again!"

This lead is not worth it!